Window tax

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss concerns that, despite recent campaigns, stigma has not been fully addressed by the psychiatric profession and that evidence suggests it may have unwittingly contributed to iatrogenic stigma.

Design/methodology/approach

The writer of this paper is a psychiatrist and considers the subject of stigma by employing the metaphor of bricked up windows. Arguments are supported through the evaluation of scientific research in addition to ideas from philosophy and literature.

Findings

The paper highlights areas of ongoing stigma and also identifies possible explanations for this in the current approach of the psychiatric profession.

Practical implications

It is hoped that this paper stimulates further discussion particularly within the psychiatric profession about the approach to tackling stigma.

Originality/value

This paper revisits the subject of Iatrogenic Stigma ten years on from an editorial in the British Medical Journal by Professor Norman Sartorius. The assumption of the psychiatric profession is that, by giving prominence to a biomedical view of mental illness, stigma will be lessened. This paper challenges this view and widens the discussion.

Citation

Gordon, P.J. (2012), "Window tax", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 181-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/20428301211281032